Today Zarksoft Games announced Empire of the Eclipse, a 4x online real-time strategy game that can be played anywhere at any time … but it is not a web browser game.
In an unprecedented move Zarksoft Game designed Empire of the Eclipse for Apple’s iOS family of devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) which is a clear market bet.
And the stakes are very high. In a press release made today Lee Dotson, Zarksoft Games President, said the following:
“As long time fans of games like Civilization and Master of Orion, we’ve worked diligently to make a game that lives up to the standards set by those milestone titles,” said Lee Dotson, President of Zarksoft. Empire of the Eclipse also brings accessibility and massively multiplayer capabilities to mobile devices.“
Game Key Features
- Massively Multiplayer: Fight, trade, scheme and vie for universal domination with up to 1500 other players per game.
- Epic Universe: Games can range in size from 2,500 to 90,000 sectors. Explore, conquer and exploit hundreds of thousands of planets.
- Explore: Fog of war and dynamically generated universes require exploration and reconnaissance, key components of the empire building experience.
- Streamlined Interface: Jump to any controlled planet or fleet from anywhere in the galaxy with just a few touches.
- Diplomacy: Enact a state of Peace, War or Embargo with other players. A rich array of interpersonal player dynamics awaits.
- Many Ways to Win: Win by the application of brute force or economic superiority. Transcend the stars or collect ancient alien artifacts. Whether warmonger, diplomat or explorer, there are always ways to win.
- Skill Trees: Utilize a diverse and flexible selection of 40 skills to uniquely tailor and individualize an interstellar empire.
- Player Communication: Robust in-game mail and chat systems feature private channels and item attachments to better facilitate trade and covert operations.
- Retina Display: Stunning visuals are tailor-made to support both Retina and traditional iPhone displays.
- Universal: A single account may login from any i-device you or anyone else owns.
- Fair Play: Players cannot purchase their way to victory. Robust server side gameplay ensures a fair and competitive play experience for all.
Empire of the Eclipse sets in the distant future where the player will establish an interstellar empire. As usual in space strategy games the player will be using diplomacy, economic decision and conquest to thrive.
Empire of the Eclipse will be available Q1 2011 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch mobile devices.
For more information on Empire of the Eclipse go to the Zarksoft website.
I invite you to read the SpaceSector article “Can MMO games be the future of 4x space strategy?“. I wrote this article 15 months ago. It seems that Empire of the Eclipse is going in that direction. You can also have a look in the first article I wrote in SpaceSector: “Space Strategy Games: What’s next?” (18 months ago). Will Empire of the Eclipse be the next step of the evolution of the Space Strategy Games genre?
Clip from “Space Strategy Games: What’s next?“:
“The question is where we should go from now to keep the concept [4x space strategy] appealing at the same time expanding its coverage. The network society demands ubiquitous products which can be accessed quickly, easily and anywhere with no requirements for special tools or products. Current technology already offers this reality with the Internet and the global range of telecommunication services and products.“
It seems that Empire of the Eclipse has made a first move towards this direction. Let’s wait and see what is the final result.
Some screenshots (click to enlarge)
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About Zarksoft
Zarksoft was founded in 2010 by industry veterans Tina Lawton, Lee Dotson, Jeff Lawton, and Jeff Williams whose previous work includes contributions to Diablo 3, Unreal Championship 2, American McGee’s Alice, Anachronox, Hellgate: London, Star Trek Online and more titles. Zarksoft retains a passion for creating dynamic multiplayer environments and has a fierce commitment to independent development.
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This looks MOST promising! You are right Adam, it appears that the iOS platform is getting a lot of attention by the 4x Strategy developers. Which is a very good thing for us fans!
So they don’t even try to write an AI for this?
I may be wrong but I guess EotE will not have AIs, but only humans playing, as any MOOG normally does. You can have NPC (non-player characters), although I don’t know if they have them in EotE.